Monday, May 12, 2008

The Bike Room

Every cyclist needs a place where they can both retreat and hang their equipment, a place where old tubulars go to die and plastic bins divide up small parts and little things that one day will prove their usefulness again. A place where chain lubes and embrocations stand side-by-side, ready to serve both rider and machine. This space maintains a degree of organization that differs as greatly as cyclists do, yet it allows every rider the ability to be prepared to roll out the door in a matter of minutes. It's as much physical space as it is mental space. Whether it's a closet, a corner of the garage, or a full-blown room, the area that houses your gear is called the bike room.

Over the years, my bike room has ranged from a messenger bag to the trunk of my car to a full-on basement complete with a roller cabinet filled with tools and a floor covered in anti-fatigue mats. My brain sees things in retail terms, a result of my years in the bike industry. Hooks for wheels and machines, a cabinet for tools, which is organized by things that open and close (pliers, cable cutters) to screw drivers and allen keys to frame tools. Everything has a place and aids in the efficient flow of bike building, simple repairs and, of course, coffee at dawn. During the coldest winter months, it's a training studio complete with DVD player and rollers: a place to recharge the soul when the roads are unrideable and to tinker on old machines in a sort of "on-going, non-going" project.

The bike room is a vacation, a spa, a bunker, a spin class, a tool shed, and an all around hide-out. The bike room allows me to completely immerse myself in my passion and escape from the outside world.

15 comments:

as the old saying goes, the shoemaker's kids don't have shoes, well as an architect, i have built numerous houses, big and small in soCAL, but i don't own one. but now i have an office and, that's right, a bike room. - thanks for cutting to the core of the passion, PRO.

You nailed it! I just moved into new digs a couple of months ago and claimed the second bedroom as "my room" (which really means 'bike room,' but most girlfriends/wives/whatever typically don't understand that).Yes, I went post-haste into a bike room layout frenzy: Where do I put the tool box? What's the best way to store the bikes? How many bikes to I allow in the bike room? (The answer is no less than 2 and no more than 3, by the way - the rest can go into storage facility B). The Sportsbalm is on the window sill next to the Assos chamois creme. I allowed myself only one poster (Fons DeWolf - GIOS) and one jersey on the wall (old, wool, 'Bruna's Ristorante Chicago') and a simple butterfly chair next to the bike clothes/clown costume hamper.When insomnia strikes, as it often does, I retreat to the bike room with summer book and bottle of evian in hand. The bike room is the greatest santuray a cyclist can have. Bravo!

my bike room is also known as the man room. when we bought our condo, i hadn't placed as much value on a good basement as i should have. i got lucky that the unfinished basement we ended up with is elevated so it really doesn't have the complete basement feel and it is easily accessible for in/out with the bikes. i have hooks for the fleet, bench and shelf space for the gear and tools, and a wide open floor with an old dark rug for the work stand and trainer. plus i even manage to get the old tv and xbox down there to entertain me. my future plans include sheet rocking the walls and displaying as many of my race numbers as possible. the only problem is that my wife may never see me if i make it too inviting.

Too much small apartment/condo living in expensive cities with my neat freak wife has meant that the bike room has remained an elusive dream of mine. A large tupperware storage container and a few random shoe-boxes shoved into too small and out of sight places continue to act as placeholders. Every time I have to root around for a spare tube or chain lube, however, I am reminded of the dream and rekindle the hope that one day I shall have a sanctuary where I can erect my shrine to the two wheeled gods.

Bike room? What's that? I have a bike house! Seriously though, I am spoiled beyond words, my wife shares my passion with bikes and there are never less than 3 bikes in the living room, rollers and a trainer too, bike stuff everywhere!

We have nearly all of our bikes in the garage, mine one side, hers the other, tandem in the middle and the bench, tools wheel jig at the back. Unfortunately its only a single garage which means we have to have the REALLY best ones in the bedroom. (The car goes out on the estate road)

...so many of our friends outside the sport simply see us as strong, healthy, athletic individuals...maybe a little compulsive due to the lycra thing but they have no idea of the real "geektification" (to borrow greg's term)...

...to wit...besides all the jersey's & jackets on hangers, there is the separate dresser for the rest of the cycling gear......it was all brought home to me awhile back when i saw an old cycling buddy, a guy i founded a club w/ & we rode thousands of miles together...he's into different world's now but he was checking out my bikes n' gear......when he pulled open a drawer w/ maybe 50 pairs of different cycling socks, all neatly folded & accessible, looked at me & said "dude, that is sick"...i could only reply..."hey, thanks, you're quite right"...

Yeah, I've got a corner of the concrete floor basement for the trainer, old tv/dvd, and a wheeled toolchest. Need to figure out some hooks for wheels. I'm really just posting though to say..."out of the house in minutes"...?! That I need tips on.

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Belgium Knee Warmers Defined

For many professional cyclists the Spring campaign is the toughest of the season; it means training from October until March in the worst, character-building weather conditions Europe can dish out. This weather and the suffering that is bicycle racing breed characters known as "hardmen".

Select cyclists tackle these conditions in shorts, long sleeve jerseys or short sleeve jerseys with arm warmers, wind vests, and shoe covers. A true hardman opts to forego the knee or leg warmers and instead chooses an embrocation to cover the knees. The liniment provides warmth for the legs and keeps the blood circulating and muscles supple. Embrocation and the sheen created is affectionately known as "Belgium knee warmers". The hardest of cyclists will sport bare legs in the most ruthless of conditions.

Belgium Knee Warmers are indicitive of the many subtleties that make professional cycling so enthralling.

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I spent 20 years of my life working in the bicycle industry, turning wrenches and selling bikes for some of the industry's best shops. I have extensive experience designing and constructing frames in both steel and titanium and have performed thousands of bike fits. I am passionate about bicycles in all forms. The bicycle provides me with physical and mental health and taps me into a social pipeline that allows me to share my passion with others. I ride as often as possible and love the flow of a hard group ride. Check back for musings about all things road cycling and, especially, the Spring Classics. The devil is in the details and I am an expert in the useless minutia that makes up our discipline.